How can access to marijuana stores influence alcohol consumption? This is what a recent study published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine hopes to address as a team of researchers investigated how retail cannabis availability has potentially caused a shift from alcohol to marijuana. This study has the potential to help researchers, legislators, and the public better understand the impacts of cannabis on other substance use and how this could influence additional lifestyle aspects.
For the study, the researchers analyzed survey data obtained from the State of Oregon’s Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) involving over 61,000 individuals surveyed about their alcohol use and more than 38,000 surveyed about their cannabis use. The participants answered questions regarding the frequency of cannabis and alcolhol use over a 30-day period and was conducted from 2014 to 2022, with the data analyses being conducted from 2023 to 2024. In the end, the researchers found that while cannabis use increased resulting from cannabis retail access for all ages except 18-20, alcohol use declined, specifically among adults ages 21-24 and 65 and over.
The study notes in its conclusion, “Research on the mechanisms by which retail density and proximity effects occur for early to middle aged adults would inform state and local policies aimed at preventing cannabis misuse. For older (65+ years) adults the net public health impacts of retail access-related increases in cannabis use are less clear given the associated decreases in their heavy alcohol use.”
This study comes as the number of cannabis-related businesses currently exceeds 16,000, as of November 2025. Additionally, retail cannabis stores are estimated to have more than $30 billion in revenue for 2024.
What new connections between retail cannabis and alcohol use will researchers make in the coming years and decades? Only time will tell, and this is why we science!
As always, keep doing science & keep looking up!
Sources: American Journal of Preventive Medicine, Marijuana Moment, IBISWorld
